CHAPTER II: WHERE DID I COME FROM?

CHAPTER II: WHERE DID I COME FROM?

1. THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND OF THE WORLD AFTER WORLD WAR II

   After announcing these verses, Lord Supreme Pure King kept silent. The atmosphere around Him suddenly smelled of sandalwood incense rising fragrantly, and became extraordinarily solemn and warm. Connecting an initial word in these verses, we have this sentence: “TỪ THỊ DI LẠC TÔN PHẬT — Supreme TỪ THỊ  Maitreya Buddha.”

   I prostrated myself before Him, wondering in thoughtful confusion whether or not Lord Maitreya, in flesh and bone, is truly in front of me? I, along with all Tao practitioners and non-practitioner, whatever their religion, have to re-examine this. Lord Maitreya has appeared at the due time, in the right situation, and in the right Destructive Dharma Period. He had joyfully utilized His great power to endure difficulties and made complete use of Buddha’s power to transform the chaotic Destructive Life Period into the Superior Life Period.

4. PLACES WHERE LORD SUPREME PURE KING, A.K.A LORD MAITREYA RETURNED TO AND FULFILLED THE TAO DHARMA

In this rebirth, Lord Maitreya adopted the name of Supreme Pure King and opened the Tao Dharma at number 42, Hồng Bàng Street, Nha Trang, Vietnam. In the last years of His life, He moved to number 6, Huỳnh Thúc Kháng Street of the same city. Today the moment has come, when recording this rare and historical event, I look forward to human beings and true disciples, who realize that life is an infinite ocean of suffering and is fleeting, hoping they would courageously initiate their mind to seek the Tao of enlightenment and liberation from the birth-death transmigration. Even if you possess everything in the world, when you pass away, you will leave all behind and become empty-handed. Not knowing where we are going is an immeasurable suffering!

 

4.1 BÌNH ĐỊNH, THE PLACE WHERE LORD MAITREYA WAS BORN

One day at the end of winter in 1969 in the wooden loft of number 42, Hồng Bàng Street Nha Trang, at 8 o'clock in the morning, Lord Supreme Pure King said, and I heard these words:

His father's name was Từ Như Ý, and he named Him Từ Thế Thọ. Every year, on the 24^th day of the 12^th month of the Lunar year, all the Dharma Constitution’s Four Kinds of Followers who were His true disciples gathered at His residence to celebrate His birthday—The Tao  Dharma Birthday. On this same day of the Pig lunar year, a.k.a. the 8th of February 1972, He once again told the secular world and His true disciples that Lord Maitreya was incarnate through a poem He wrote and also typed Himself. Its translated version is shown as follows:

 

                  -The Supreme Pure King.

                   The Tao Dharma Birthday: December 24^th 
                   Lunar Year of the Pig (December 24^th, 1972)

        * * *

   “Letting go their worries and fears.”
    World War I (1914-1918) had ended. People, especially those in third-world countries, endured through World War II (1939-1945). When the Geneve convention of 1954 came to life, many were in fear of wars’ invasions. In this harsh background, signaling an increasingly chaotic situation, it has been a year since He came to life in 1918.

   “Praying for miracles all over the country.”

   While the people went about shopping for Vietnamese New Year items, the entire group of Invisible Dragon Deities, Land Deities, Four Teams of Deities, and Supreme Deities around His dwelling place were accomplishing miracles all over to protect Him.

   “Real or unreal, it depends on perception of peace.”

   Perceived peace enabled the citizens to joyfully shop for the Vietnamese New Year. However from a broader perspective, the seeds of World War III were already planted, and the peace was both real and unreal.

   “It was on the same brightly perfect twenty-fourth day.”

   The brightly perfect twenty- fourth day is a special day, as it rarely occurs. Why? Because this day of that year (1918), according to the Chinese calendar, was the beginning of spring— the end of the winter. The weather was changing to a bright spring.

   “I was alone on the clouds in the sky.
    Being reborn in correspondence with this Inferior Life Period.”

   From the Tusita Heaven, He penetrated into the atmosphere and layers of clouds, and stepped into the human world. “Being reborn.” For a long time, the Buddhist scripture used these words to wait for Lord Maitreya. Now, He wrote them down in order to remind the human world that it is now the Inferior Life, a very appropriate time for Him to save the world.

   “If I speak, my words will be in excess.
    Today is a natural day of leisure.”
    He knew how true His words were. He spoke the truth in superfluous words in this Period because the living beings were insanely confused and could not believe them. As for Him, He remained calm as He had vowed.

   “They are complete in the Destructive Life Period.
    As arranged by Tathagata, to play a scene.”

   In the Destructive Life Period, humankind has freely created harmful poisons. As for Him, He has already known that it was a play arranged by Tathagata to proceed towards the Superior-Life Period.

   “The true disciples are just my consolation.
    ...Everyone joyful of restored enlightenment is what I long for.”

   Even though the human world is proceeding freely in harmful poison, but He was still joyful that true disciples seeking enlightenment are following Him. Long-Hoa expected by most Tao practitioners is:

   “DHARMA CONSTITUTION VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM”                               

   And Lord Maitreya of the past is now hidden under the title of SUPREME PURE KING, being the leader of Dharma Constitution and the Master of the Tao Dharma. He was proclaimed THE SUPREME SANGHA CHIEF.

   When He was born, He had a beautiful body with good and bright features, but His parents were very poor. Their house in the countryside was made of bamboo walls caulked with clay and hay, and had a thatch roof. The Invisible Dragon-Deity Dharma Protector saw such a house, and thus pretended to appear as a terrifying devil. Seeing that terrifying devil, His mother was frightened and brought her baby and ran to a cleaner, taller house of a relative. As He was only three days old at the time, His eyes were hurt by the sunshine, and His right eye was severely damaged.

   This was an omen of Tathagata, the root capability of living beings in the Destructive Life Period, meaning that the Buddha was incarnate, but they (common people) could not see Him. It is only through the patriarchs’ virtuous merits, an empty mind, and a mind practicing the Tao Dharma towards enlightenment that we could attain the great conditions to come to Him.

   He continued teaching: It is very easy for me to make use of my supernatural power to have the 32 ideal body features of the Buddhas. But in this Destructive Dharma Period, the living beings favor color, form, and sound. If I were to appear that way, they would only come to worship Me and not practice to correct their bad characteristics, which would be useless.

4.2 NHA TRANG, CITY OF KHÁNH HOÀ PROVINCE, WHERE LORD MAITREYA FULFILLED THE TAO DHARMA

I heard these words[1]: During the Second World War (1939-1945), the situation in Vietnam was that war had spread all over the country. When He lived in Bình Định after being suspected of rebellion, the communist Vietnamese authority condemned Him to 10 years of imprisonment, and after only 26 months, the Geneve Convention came to life and He was set free. At that time, He was 36 years old and He moved to Nha Trang, where He rented a small house with a thatched roof and clay walls at Sinh Trung, near the Chợ Đầm market today.

The remaining Buddhist sutra inscribed by Him is still intact. To demonstrate His incarnation, I'll give certain main points so you can realize it more completely through the Attested Indication I, II, III[1], and IV[2]—the attestation and direct indication for all worlds, including the human world, the three thousand great thousand worlds, and lands of Fairies and Deities, to know about the Universe and humankind.

THE VERSE: 
   The Western paradise is emitting fluorescence.

   Lord Maitreya returned and started opening Salvation from the East.
   Using wonderful means to bring the pair to the unique form.
   The Four Species' dream has not dissolved. 

INTERPRETATION: 
   I'm coming to the Western salvation emitting fluorescence. 
   I’m returning to the East to pull up the curtain.
   Making the pair harmonize to manifest their unique form.
   A safe and joyful nation is at its full glory. 
 

ONGOING ACTIONS: 
   Who can understand Me in this time?
   Trying to change and move to unify East and West.
   The precious royal oath lays a foundation for living beings.
   Liberating lives from suffering. 

THE CONSEQUENCES: 
   The Divine Fairies were applauding happily.
   While the puzzled Land Fairies wrinkle their eyebrows lamenting.
   Human beings were bewildered in their behavior.
   While Bodhisattvas laughed joyfully.
   The Three Realms were shaking unceasingly.
   I'm sitting on the beautiful throne of Buddha. 

THE ATTESTED INDICATION: 
   Human beings are faithfully seeking for the Tao Dharma.
   Those who were not clearly aware of Long-Hoa became insanely confused.
   Nagarjuna’s perfect secular body is here.
   With the mind, brain, and intelligence of Fairies, Saints and Deities.

   I am the right person with full enlightenment.
   Why are you not awake and still doubtful?
   Don't look for Him elsewhere! Look directly in this poem.
   My words are exactly Buddha's words.

          
                       – The Supreme Pure King

                      Noontime, September 03, 1977.

 

   The Eastern Salvation Period: a period of assimilation with human beings. He was incarnated as a layman to guide Tao practitioners to return to the Supreme Truth and achieve enlightenment.

THE VERSE:

The Western paradise means that the Tusita Heaven is full of peace and joy in the golden light of Tao.

   “Lord Maitreya returned and started opening Salvation from the East”: Lord Maitreya was reborn in the East in Vietnam as a layman (Eastern Salvation also means living as a layman). He started open the Tao Dharma for human beings from the East.

   He used all wonderful means to indicate that life is Tao and they are always in a pair, appearing as the form and the shadow. Though being two, they have a unique form. He accommodated for and guided each disciple on a unique path to enlightenment.

   When He started opening the Tao Dharma, the Four Species increased their intensity for competition and killed each other in chaos and constantly lived in drowsiness.

THE INTERPRETATION:

“I'm coming to the West Salvation… I’m returning to the Eastern...” Supreme Pure King incarnated today is precisely the reincarnation of Lord Maitreya. Conducting as the Divine (renunciation of family) in the past, He now appears and conducts himself as a layman, pulling up the curtain of ignorance for the erroneous practice of Tao Dharma in the Destructive-Dharma Period. He unionizes life and Tao and teaches human beings to use hearing, sight, and knowledge in life to practice the Tao Dharma, transforming hearing, sight, and knowledge into thousands and thousands of Dharmas unattached to anything. Upon fulfilling this, humans will live peacefully and happily, families will be stable, and nations will be peaceful and joyful.

ONGOING ACTIONS:

He used to open Tao places where there were true disciples such as Nha Trang, Qui Nhơn, Đà Nẵng, Huế, and Saigon. There were also some monks and nuns, those who renounce their family, who come to meet Him and read His scriptures on liberation through solving. They only knew that He was the Master named Tịnh Vương (Pure King). During His journey none of these monks or nuns tried to search and understand the Dharma subject of liberation through solving. They did not pay their attention to it and even considered this way of practice as unnecessary and completely strange.

   Alongside teaching Tao Dharma to the surrounding living beings, He also had a difficult great vow that was His determination to use the Buddhas' precious Dharma to rebuild the human world, transporting them from the East to the West. This way, they would have a realistic way of practice that corrects their nature, gives up their bad habits, dissolves circumstances for a bright mind, and liberates suffering from each and every family. This work of transforming the whole world in this time was not understood by any of the religious leaders.

THE CONSEQUENCES:

“The Divine Fairies were applauding happily.”

   Why? In the fairyland, Divine Fairies were observing His returning journey to the human world. Divine Fairies were those who lived outside our earth and were very sensible. Sympathetic to the past and the future, they are clearly aware and fully enlightened to the movement and manipulation of all Dharmas which are either appearing or returning. They were only inferior to the Bodhisattvas’ rank: they did not yet know how the change their own bodily fate in order to solve birth, death, old age, and suffering.

   The Divine Fairies saw the Universe and people living in peace and safety. In the Inferior Returning Destructive Life Period, when hell emerged and karma of suffering was widespread, they saw Maitreya’s Great Power saving the Four Species, which is why they applauded happily.

   “The puzzled Land Fairies wrinkle their eyebrows lamenting.”

   Why? The Land Fairies were always drawn to the Middle Life Period, which is also called the Gentle Life Period. In that period, the Tao Dharma of practice and fulfillment respect those who are virtuous and saintly. When they saw the rising fires from hell, the Great Powerful Maitreya used all means suitable in the Inferior Returning Period to save the world. The Land Fairies, who did not understand this, upon seeing saints and Bodhisattvas working as hard as a buffalo or horse, conceived the degeneration of the Buddha’s Path and the destruction of the Dharma, and thus lamented. While the saints and Bodhisattvas were penetrating into “The Universal Door Chapter[1]”, entering into Hell’s Fire, undergoing bitterness, dishonor, and corporal punishment in order to salve suffering and bring salvation to living beings.

   “Human beings were bewildered in their behavior.”

   Why? Human beings live in an unstable and chaotic life. The plenty became empty, the tranquil became chaotic, the united became divided, the cool became hot, and the cozy became homeless. Average human beings and Tao practitioners lost their balance, their direction in life, as well as their true faith in Buddha, chasing after Hell’s Fire towards a new horizon… Everyone was astounded, anxious, bewildered, and adventurous.

   “While Bodhisattvas laughed joyfully.”

   The saints and Bodhisattvas have vowed to penetrate into “The Universal Door Chapter.” Therefore, when faced with hard circumstances, their body and mind still recognized them yet remained empty and joyful. Saving from suffering was the food of Bodhisattvas. Therefore, they were happy to ultimately undergo difficulties to follow the footsteps of Buddha.

   “The Three Realms were shaking unceasingly.”

   The Three Realms are the three heavenly lands of desire, form, and formlessness. Seeing the human world encroached by Hell’s Fire, the Heavenly Fairies became worried, anxious, and their bodies shook sorrowfully, too.

   “I'm sitting on the beautiful throne of Buddha.”

   He knew that these are only illusive scenes of the human world, and in this unique rebirth, He will attain Buddha’s fruit—always beautiful, fresh, and everlasting.

THE ATTESTED INDICATION:

“Human beings were faithfully seeking for the Tao Dharma.”

   He knew that numerous human beings now practice by following Buddhism. However, most of them rely on monks and nuns in temples and mountain forest sanctuaries in search of a faithful mind for the Tao Dharma because they are tired of life.  He still lamented:

   “Those who were not clearly aware of Long-Hoa became insanely confused.”

   This verse clearly discloses that Lord Maitreya had come to the world, opened Long-Hoa, and taught morality for living beings sinking in the ocean of suffering to arrive to the shore of enlightenment. None of those who waited for Him in any religion could recognize this realistic way of practicing in this Destructive-Life Period: Self-nature enlightened-nature, which means, “I must be self-aware of my own nature to be enlightened nature” and dissolve the Dharma nature flower. Instead, they are insanely confused and illusively wait for the explosion of the Seven Mountains.

   “Nagarjuna’s perfect secular body is here.”

   He now directly indicates that Tịnh Vương (Pure King) in this life is truly Nagarjuna appearing in the secular body. The body of Nagarjuna in a past reincarnation is presently Lord Maitreya embodied in this human world.

   “With the mind, brain, and intelligence of Fairies, Saints, and Deities.”

   Fairies, Saints, and Deities are those who have a more sensible outlook than that of laypeople. These words are as lucid and conscious as the brain and intelligence of the Fairies, Saints, and Deities. He directly indicates that enlightenment is right in our mind and body. Why not accept it but keep praying outside? These are truly the words of Buddha.

4.2.2 THE ATTESTED INDICATION II:

SKILLFUL USE OF BUDDHA’S SUPREMACY.  

DHARMA OF SALVATION IN THE EASTERN SALVATION PERIOD.
Lunar year of the snake 1977.

I'm coming in this period to restore.
Appearing as a layman: Indication-Attestation-Accomplishment.
Building Tao- Life and accomplishing the Dharma.
Aiming at the full enlightenment and avoiding the misery. 

When Buddha appears in the world, He has two guiding paths.
The path of emptiness, making NO use of the secular world.
Renunciation, thousands of ways to pull up the curtain.
The mind is free from predetermined pollution—enlightenment restored to illuminate. 

When Buddha appears in the world, He has two guiding paths.
The second path DOES make use of the secular world.
With hundreds of places and thousands of ways in rhythm.
The mind is free from predetermined pollution—enlightenment restored to the original truth.

                                                                                                             –The Supreme Pure king

                                                                                                               March 25^th, 1977

 

 

 

   “I'm coming in this period to restore.”

   The Buddha comes to life to exclusively bring human beings direct indications of restored enlightenment, which was also the attested indication of three generations of Buddhas. According to the teachings of Lord Supreme Pure King, the incarnation of Lord Maitreya, this period is the Inferior-Life Period; the destructive Dharma overshadows the authentic Dharma. The Tao Dharma practitioners who prefer to make use of education, research of Buddhist sutras, and favor form and sound to seek for the Tao Dharma, become illegitimately enlightened.

   He did not create a new religion, but only restored and modified the way of practice according to the path of liberation through knowing, seeing, and solving—the path of self-enlightenment which follows the exact supremacy and the exact guidelines of the three generations of Buddhas.

   “Appearing as a layman: Indication-Attestation*- Accomplishment*.”

   He clearly let human beings know that He was born as a layman who fulfills all the conducts of a secular man at home.

   Today most Tao practitioners do not follow the Attestation-Indication above, and are conducting themselves in a way that accuses Buddhism of being passive, and the heretics, through their worship offerings, are pushing the faithful believers to fanatical practices. They focus on praying, rather than correcting their own nature and creating the root of honesty to dissolve the phantom force.

   “When Buddha appears in the world, He has two guiding paths.”

   The path of emptiness means renunciation of family—living in a pagoda, temple, or hermitage, and having no spouse and children—thus being free of familial ties. Provided that the mind is harmonious and open, and not polluted by external circumstances, enlightenment is still accomplished.

   The path of tangibles means the layperson’s conduct—living in a family with one's spouse and children, undergoing all hardships and conveniences of family circumstance. Sometimes joyful, sometimes sad; sometimes comfortable, sometimes sufferable… thousands and thousands of Dharmas proceed in immeasurable ways in life. Provided that the mind is not predeterminately polluted while getting in and out of Dharma precepts, it still enlightens.

   Whether or not family is renounced, practicing on the right path of intuition still yields enlightenment. He chose to live as a layman, living in a family with His wife and six children. This made those who left their family to practice in a temple, upon meeting Him, feel strange and in disbelief.

   Practitioners who renounce family—also known as those of the divine conduct—represent the still practice group, based on stillness for salvation. They must also have the reliability, conduct, and vow from hearing, sight, and knowledge, which are thousands and thousands of Dharmas aiming at liveliness to resolve and gradually become aware of ignorance. They are no longer polluted, returning to the stillness of restored enlightenment.

   When living in quiet peace, avoiding conflicts, though being still, it is isolated stillness. It is a dangerous way to practice Tao, and never reaches the shore of enlightenment. The practice of renunciation—avoiding the dirty and choosing the clean—of the practitioners who had left their family, unintentionally attains the intelligence of a Fairy or Deity, and can never reach restored enlightenment.